This blog is the second out of a short series explaining Mosston & Ashworth’s Spectrum of Teaching Styles. Today our writing is based on episode #255 of the podcast Playing with Research in Health and Physical Education. This blog is almost verbatim from the podcast, so if you prefer the audio version here is the link for episode #255. You can also listen to the first episode of this series here or read the first blog here. All of the podcasts are listed by category on a google doc that you can find as the pinned tweet on the account @theHPEpodcast on Twitter. Alternatively, you can find it here. You can find the website where you can download the book for free and find more information and resources at the end of this blog.
Last week we (Alba and Risto) posted a blog with an overview of the Spectrum. Today we will talk about Style A-The Command style. This is at one polar end …meaning reproduction…of the spectrum and that is why it is the first one to go.
Command Style is the most teacher-centered style in the spectrum. What this means is that in the anatomy of the Command style the teacher is responsible for making all the decisions in the classroom. In this situation, we say that the teacher is at “maximum” meaning that the role of the teacher is to make the decisions, explaining and demonstrating what should be done. The role of the students is to reproduce, follow, and replicate what is commanded by the teacher. We then say that in the Command style the learner is at “minimum”. By following the cues, pace, and rhythm defined by the teacher, learners achieve performance precision. The Command Style emphasizes automaticity, which simply means the result is an immediate synchronized, orchestrated performance.
Style A or Command Style has been linked to a more militaristic style of teaching PE, sometimes seen as a more traditional one-size-fits-all approach. Many of you might have seen videos or pictures of gymnastics in PE where the teacher or coach is in the front of the class demonstrating a routine and making sure all the students are in the same pace of movement. You might be thinking now about all the critiques you heard regarding this teaching style.
For example,
it does not consider the individuality of each student,
it’s not that fun,
it does not encourage decision-making, etc etc.
However, as I mentioned in the first blog of the Spectrum of teaching styles, no one style is better than another. Each style is valuable and needed in certain moments to enhance students learning experiences. So, to offer a valuable and complete PE experience to learners, teachers should strive to find a balance in teaching various styles at the most appropriate time. In the spectrum book, there is a quote that says, “precision physical performances are represented in all aspects of the society” (p.78). When we think about great Sports events like the Olympics, most of the athletic performance could never be achieved if the Command Style was not used somewhere along the way.
Let’s think about a few examples in PE. Take, for example, Archery-is it safe to teach archery to your students for the VERY FIRST time by having them “explore the bow and arrow in any way they please”? OBVIOUSLY NO… In this case, you need really strict rules, everyone shooting the arrow at the same time, in the same direction, and putting down the bow before going to get the arrows in the shooting area.
Another example can be rowing or other activities in which synchronizing the movement of a group of people is needed to achieve performance. In rowing, if one person is not at the same pace as their peers the entire team will be affected.
We also mentioned dance in the first episode. The command style is needed to make sure all the students learn the movement correctly, stay in the rhythm of the music, and perform at the same pace.
Fitness activities are another example in which this style is appropriate. Learners need to be able to perform the correct techniques to prevent injuries and benefit from these activities. This asks for the teacher to provide direct feedback and repetition of movement. Learners will have to understand and memorize the cues of each exercise to perform them correctly. Also, they need to learn training and anatomical concepts to be able to understand the benefits of fitness activities and develop a fitness program to practice this activity throughout their life.
Certain martial arts also follow rituals that may not be part of practitioners' culture and these practices also follow the Command style.
Many of the activities I just mentioned can be part of the student’s adult life and will provide them with not only physical and health benefits but also social experiences that are important for life after school.
These are a few examples in which the Command Style is needed in PE. They have to do with safety, which is the case in high-risk sports, the need for synchronized movements for performance, to perpetuate cultural traditions, and to memorize concepts and cues that can provide knowledgeable practices. Other activities that need the Command Style can be synchronized swimming, gymnastics, yoga, Pilates, and many more.
Another aspect to think about when choosing this style is the moment of the PE unit you are in. Normally at the beginning of a unit teachers will use more of the Command style and during the development of extensions, improved learners’ competence, and increase of learners' understanding of the subject matter, teachers tend to provide more autonomy and decision-making to learners.
Another aspect to consider is the age or grade of your students. Elementary school, especially at the beginning of the school year, normally calls for a more controlled environment with a clear class structure, and routine which hopefully will improve the experiences of students who are starting their PE journey.
In starting to wrap this up, let's talk a little about the pitfalls that should be avoided when using the Command style. First of all, teachers need to be aware of the abuse of power that can result from this style of teaching. Using the Command style should not be for control and reprimand purposes. To successfully implement the Command style teachers should consider the following
make sure to synchronize the pace and rhythm of movements in a way that is not too fast or slow;
avoid an excessive amount of talk which may reduce the learners’ active participation;
avoid excessive or confusing command signals;
stay away from too many repetitions of the same task causing boredom or fatigue;
don’t stop the entire class when a few students are struggling;
avoid staying in only one spot in the classroom, moving around provides the opportunity for more successful feedback; and
be careful to not provide unclear expectations for the tasks.
Hope that overview of the Command style helped. We will keep launching weekly blogs explaining the 11 teaching styles.
Thanks for reading!
Alba and Risto
For more resources see below:
Full Cite: Mosston, M., & Ashworth, S. (2008). Teaching physical education: First online edition, 2008. https://spectrumofteachingstyles.org/index.php?id=16
Visit: https://www.spectrumofteachingstyles.org
Twitter: @spectrumots